Final tournament - Group stage

European qualifying for the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup comprises two group stages and a play-off round.

Preliminary round
The 20 lower-ranked nations are drawn into five four-team mini-tournaments played from 19 to 23 October 2011. Each mini-tournament is staged by one of the countries and each team plays one another once with the group winners progressing alongside the best two runners-up.

Main round
The preliminary round qualifiers join the remaining entrants in seven groups of four nations held from 14 to 18 December 2011. The top two in each group go into the play-offs.

Play-offs
The group winners will be drawn against the runners-up to form seven two-legged ties played on 25 to 28 March and 8 to 11 April 2012. The aggregate victors qualify for the final tournament.

Finals
Twenty-four teams, including seven European qualifiers, will compete in Thailand from 1 to 18 November 2012.

Further details, including the criteria for separating teams that finish level on points in a group, or after extra time in a match, can be found in the official competition regulations.